Grounding Yourself

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I’m not a teacher, but an awakener.  — Robert Frost
winter tree

As you work toward learning to love yourself as part of the process of change, I want to talk a bit about grounding and how you can include grounding techniques into your process, and into your daily life.

The concept of grounding or being grounded may have several interpretations and can be quite personal based on experiences, state of mind, life style or values and beliefs. For some it may mean being centered, calm or focused. For others it may mean being in-touch with your sprit or inner-self. And for others it may mean being at peace with yourself, your current circumstances or being connected to your roots or where you came from.

None of these are wrong or right. Grounded means that your energy is firmly planted and you are connected to the earth’s energy. It helps you from being afloat, from your mind wandering or pulling your energy elsewhere.When you are firmly planted or grounded and receiving energy from and giving energy to the earth it helps you be conscious and aware of your Self and to be centered, balanced and aligned with your soul in an earthly, pure sense.  The practice of grounding opens you to the universal energy flowing around you and through you.  In short, you can view grounding as connecting your body to the earth and the earth’s energy.

There are many practices or techniques that help you with grounding or being grounded that can be worked into your daily routine.  For many any contact with nature or being outside helps bring them to a grounded state — be it walking barefoot in the sand or grass, a walk through the woods or on the beach–or spending time in your own backyard or a park–standing firmly and feeling the breeze and sun, etc. It includes mindful breathing–breathing that draws from the outside to inside the body.

Grounding can be done any time, any place and anywhere. A technique I would like to share with you is one where you imagine yourself as a strong tree. To help you, I have put the technique into a list of six steps.

  1. Stand firmly with your back straight and your feet about hip width apart, your arms relaxed at your side
  2. Feel the support of your toes, heals and insteps of your feet
  3. Close your eyes and visualize yourself as a strong tree
  4. Imagine roots coming from the bottom of your feet into the ground to firmly tie you to the core of the earth
  5. As you do this, breath slowly and deeply, being conscious of your breaths. Sometimes it helps to count your breathing. Slowly breath in to a count of four, hold your breath to the count of four, and then slowly exhale to the count of four
  6. As you breath in, feel the energy coming up from the earth through your rooted legs into your body and as you exhale flow back any excess energy back down to the earth

There is no set time for how long you should do a grounding technique.  The key is not to rush it or feel rushed when you do it. It’s best to be focused and calm–so sometimes a grounding “warm up” can help, such as taking a brief walk, sitting quietly, listening to music, etc.  I hope you find this technique helpful, and as always I look forward to hearing from you on what techniques you may use for grounding.

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